Is chainbrite (Park Tool CB-4) bad for chrome?
10-08-23, 10:27 PM
#1
Junior Member
Thread Starter
Is chainbrite (Park Tool CB-4) bad for chrome?
I am restoring a very nice bike with chrome lugs. The bike is very dirty and has probably sat for 30 years. The lugs looked a bit pitted but not much more than surface blemishes.
I had been using a water and dawn mixture to clean it up, but there was some caked on grease on the bb shell. I rubbed a little Park chain cleaner/degreaser (cb-4 chainbrite) to help soften the caked on grease, and it did absolute wonders for the chrome in the bb shell. It was wild. Almost like it's some crazy liquid polish.
My question is: is there any reason I can't clean the lugs with this cb-4? Is it harmful to chrome? Park says it is biodegradable, plant based degreaser, safe on aluminum, plastic, and carbon, but makes no mention of chrome or steel.
Pictures below of the BB after cb-4 was applied, and a before photo to show what it looked like before.
I had been using a water and dawn mixture to clean it up, but there was some caked on grease on the bb shell. I rubbed a little Park chain cleaner/degreaser (cb-4 chainbrite) to help soften the caked on grease, and it did absolute wonders for the chrome in the bb shell. It was wild. Almost like it's some crazy liquid polish.
My question is: is there any reason I can't clean the lugs with this cb-4? Is it harmful to chrome? Park says it is biodegradable, plant based degreaser, safe on aluminum, plastic, and carbon, but makes no mention of chrome or steel.
Pictures below of the BB after cb-4 was applied, and a before photo to show what it looked like before.
Last edited by J_Climacus; 10-09-23 at 06:43 AM.
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10-08-23, 10:54 PM
#2
señor miembro
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Interesting bike. Windsor?
10-08-23, 11:02 PM
#3
Senior Member
Biodegradable doesn't make it mild.
I'd be more concerned if it had anything caustic like Brasso, which cleans by "etching".
I've never used chainbrite, but it may work similarly because a chain's wear and tear will really come from mileage, not a chemical.
I'd be more concerned if it had anything caustic like Brasso, which cleans by "etching".
I've never used chainbrite, but it may work similarly because a chain's wear and tear will really come from mileage, not a chemical.
10-09-23, 02:11 AM
#4
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Odds are it's very safe for chrome. But realistically, it wouldn't matter unless it were extremely corrosive.
That's because, whatever harm it MIGHT conceivably cause, it won't be there long enough.
That's true for all solvents and cleaners. Leave them on only long enough to do their jobs, then wipe of rinse them off.
That's because, whatever harm it MIGHT conceivably cause, it won't be there long enough.
That's true for all solvents and cleaners. Leave them on only long enough to do their jobs, then wipe of rinse them off.
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FB
Chain-L site
An ounce of diagnosis is worth a pound of cure.
Just because I'm tired of arguing, doesn't mean you're right.
“One accurate measurement is worth a thousand expert opinions” - Adm Grace Murray Hopper - USN
WARNING, I'm from New York. Thin skinned people should maintain safe distance.
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10-09-23, 06:32 AM
#5
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10-09-23, 09:58 AM
#6
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Pretty frame!
The material data sheet is available here:
https://www.parktool.com/assets/doc/..._SDS_en-NA.pdf
It lists 2-Propanol, 1-(2-butoxy-1-methylethoxy)- 2 as the active ingredients. I'll leave it to any resident chemist to delve into what those many be and what plant they come from.
The material data sheet is available here:
https://www.parktool.com/assets/doc/..._SDS_en-NA.pdf
It lists 2-Propanol, 1-(2-butoxy-1-methylethoxy)- 2 as the active ingredients. I'll leave it to any resident chemist to delve into what those many be and what plant they come from.
